Volkanovski Returns, Fights Topuria At UFC 298

Alexander Volkanovski was advised to skip UFC 297 … and he will.

Instead, “The Great” will make his next featherweight title defense in the UFC 298 pay-per-view (PPV) main event in February, according to UFC CEO Dana White, taking on No. 5-ranked title contender and the self-proclaimed greatest of all time, Ilia Topuria.

Volkanovski (26-3) is coming off a shocking, first-round knockout loss to Islam Makhachev at UFC 294 just last month, a short-notice rematch that marked the Aussie’s second (unsuccessful) attempt to join the coveted “champ-champ” club. With those aspirations behind him, Volkanovski will get back to work in his own weight class.

Topuria (14-0) kept his undefeated streak intact by knocking around featherweight bruiser Josh Emmett at UFC on ABC 5 last June. “El Matador” was able to leapfrog the rest of the Top 5 because Volkanovski and longtime rival, Max Holloway, have done a pretty good job of shutting down most of the eligible contenders.

The upcoming UFC 298 PPV event does not yet have an exact date or location, but those important details — along with the rest of the still-developing “Volkanovski vs. Topuria” MMA fight card — are expected to be revealed in the coming weeks, if not days.

Stay tuned.